It was a well-attended, heartfelt, and successful event that embodied the intentions connected to a fruitful union between the bicycle, in its various forms in the territory of a historical and tourist excellence such as the Versilia area, between the sea and the crown of the Apuan Alps as a suggestive, spectacular backdrop of a landscape of peculiar charm and environmental value.

The occasion was the presentation of the start from Camaiore of the upcoming Tirreno-Adriatico promoted by the Versilia Tourist Promotion Consortium with the Municipality of Camaiore and inVersilia, which also produced fine iconographic documentation of the starts from Lido di Camaiore of the Race of the Two Seas, the Tirreno-Adriatico.

On Friday, February 27, the Borsalino Cinema in Camaiore brought together several protagonists of this stage race of specific, primary importance at the international level. After institutional greetings from Camaiore's mayor, Marcello Pierucci, the president of the Versilia Tourist Promotion Consortium, Carlo Alberto Carrai, and the sports assessor of Camaiore, Luca Mecchi, the host, Davide Cassani—and the name alone needs no further introduction—engaged in pleasant and rapid dialogue, with his characteristic distinctive "r" pronunciation, one of his trademarks, with many of those invited to Camaiore's event.

To complete the picture, Mauro Vegni and Stefano Allocchio of RCS Sport sat at the presidium table, illustrating the characteristics, valued over time, of the T/A founded by Franco Mealli, where a young (back then...) Vegni grew up, later joining RCS Sport on an ascending path, known to all those who follow cycling, which concludes these very days, having been named honorary citizen of Camaiore two years ago.

At the microphone came Adriano Malori, winner of the first time trial from Lido di Camaiore, whose career was later affected by a serious crash, Italo Zilioli, who recalled with unprecedented, fresh, and self-ironic oratory his figure as the "eternal second" but with the gem of a T/A victory that somewhat tainted his palmares (it was 1971, in Ferretti colors with Alfredo Martini as directeur sportif) of podium finishes.

An evergreen Roberto Poggiali, Tuscan from Scandicci and a regular visitor to Versilia, recalled with freshness his participation in the first edition of the T/A, which was in 1966. Another Tuscan, born in Viareggio, a long-career professional, Paolo Fornaciari, very much tied to Camaiore, remembered his participations in the Gran Premio. By now his trophies won with his ice cream shop "Ultimo Km" surpass those from cycling. Also Wilmo Francioni, from Empoli, born in 1948, recounted his experiences with the T/A.

Present in the hall were prominent cycling operators in Versilia such as the "great seniors," friends in sport and in life, Bruno Bianchini, former soul of the G.S. of Camaiore with his friend Giacomo Fini from Seravezza, a former rider of good standing and then, for many years, assisted in the race direction of the pink classics Vincenzo Torriani, Carmine Castellano, also operating at the G.P. of Camaiore, in circuit, when Mount Pìtoro and Montemagno were practically open-air stadiums in the August sun.

Camaiore can, with good reason, be defined a "bike-friendly municipality" with an eye also to safety and road education with various initiatives.

Last but not least, it should be remembered the figure of Giovanni Fontanini who, as head of the sports office of the Municipality and even after retirement, operates with unchanged and always discreet presence, after having held prominent positions in the Association of Cycling Race Organizers, cooperating in various initiatives.

Present, with representatives of the press including the English Herbie Skyes, passionate about Italian cycling as well, who accompanied his friend Zilioli, were also many school groups and enthusiasts of two wheels from various backgrounds and two long-standing and valued collaborators of RCS Sport such as Angelo Morlin and Giuseppe Santucci.

And since all psalms end in glory, as the proverb goes, a most pleasant gastronomic conclusion took place at the La Dogana restaurant in the Capezzano Pianore district where memories and projects were reiterated.